life at the beach

oh, he loves her!

2011-05-11T20:32:00.000-04:00

Tonight Shiloh told me that Brynna's "so cute I could just

chew on her all day."

That's sweet, Shiloh. In a very strange, creepy way.

eli again...

2011-04-17T20:15:00.000-04:00

At dinner tonight:

Eli: "Mom, what's this stuff called?"
Me: "Stew."
Eli: "Oh. Well, I don't like stew, sorry."

At least he's honest...

maybe we should enunciate...

2011-04-15T17:39:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed that if you say "Adam and Eve" really fast it sounds like "Adam Neve"?

Well, Eli has. And that's what he calls her. Neve.

I hope he always does. :)

blessed is the one

2011-03-29T19:37:00.000-04:00

I currently LOVE this song from Sovereign Grace and cannot get it out of my head. It's a good one to get stuck on, though.

Blessed is the one whose sins are overcome

Whom God has sheltered deep within His grace

Blessed is the one who trusts in God the Son

His steadfast love the sinner’s hiding place

Jesus, Your blood covers all my sin

Jesus, Your love draws my heart to sing

What a Savior, Jesus

I will always hide at my Savior’s side

I find my refuge in His sovereign care

When the waters rise, God will hear my cries

His steadfast love will hold me safely there

Words and music by Doug Plank

prayer

2011-03-28T17:39:00.002-04:00

Shiloh at dinner tonight:

"...and thank you that Mommy made a really yummy dessert for Daddy and that was really kind of her and they smooch every day. Amen."

this is for auntie sue...

2011-03-22T20:25:00.001-04:00

We were driving the other night, and Izaak noticed a (slightly overweight) guy jogging. He also noticed (and said outloud) "It looks like that guy has a herniated belly button." [gross.]

Shiloh's response? "Um, did he eat it?"

I wonder what he thought herniated meant... :)

the doll

2011-03-18T19:18:00.001-04:00

I wanted Brynna's first doll to be perfect. Or at least special in some way. I had planned on finding one for her first Christmas, and looked and looked, but just couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. Actually, there are some pretty perfect dolls on Etsy, but I just can't justify $90 on a doll...

I love the look of handmade, but once I got a picture in my head of what I wanted I couldn't find it anywhere. I have that problem a lot. Anyway, I remembered that my mom had brought a box of my old stuff down with her recently and that one of my old dolls was in there. It happened to be a doll that had been made for me as a little girl (and I just can't keep to myself the fact that my brothers both have boy dolls, too :) So I decided that I would just update that one a bit and give it to Brynna for her first birthday. And I have to admit, I don't think I've ever had quite as much fun sewing as I did working on this project. :) She got a new dress, jacket, and boots, and a hat and scarf. I really wanted to make new hair, but did you know that it's pretty much impossible to put new wool felt hair on a doll that is already stuffed? Well, it is. Just in case you were wondering. So she's got the old yarn hair, but no more bangs.

Here she is before:

And after:

Brynna LOVES her

And I have to post this video... this is what Brynna does every single time we hand her doll to her.

Oh - and this was my other big project for Brynna's birthday - still unfinished, but here's her giant B ribbon board.

"mom, i was just..."

2011-03-18T16:26:00.001-04:00

words you never want to hear from your two-year-old...

Shiloh and I were vacuuming (we have two vacuums so I was doing the kitchen and Shi was doing the living room. Yes, it's great. :) and I heard Shiloh yelling for Eli. That was my first warning - if I can't find Eli, it usually means something not good. But instead of stopping, I just finished the kitchen quick. When I turned off the vacuum, I heard water running. My second warning.

When I opened the bathroom door, there was Eli, sink plugged, water overflowing, washing.......... the tv remote. "But Mom, I was just washing my hands!"

The new rule: don't turn the water on until you ask mommy.

Oh - did I mention that the remote he was washing is the remote to our digital box, which doesn't have an on/off switch other than the remote? I guess we'll be good friends with hulu for a while...

birthday boy

2011-03-17T16:19:00.000-04:00

I love a good getaway with my man. And we've decided that birthdays are a pretty good excuse to plan them, so that's become our tradition. (It's been a tradition for MY birthday since we got married because I'm married to the most wonderful surprise-planner ever, but it's a new tradition for HIS birthday because, unfortunately, I'm not quite as good at planning...but I'm getting better).

So a few Friday mornings ago, my wonderful sister-in-law loaded up her girls and tromped over to our place to stay for the night - and, might I add, brought food for everyone too!!!

We had a great time in Richmond again, eating good food, watching some basketball, and even squeezing a nap in! (you know you've got a housefull of kids when you spend you're time away taking a nap!!!)

I love you, Babe! Thanks for being so, so wonderful. Enjoy your last year being twenty-something! ;)

found this the other day

2011-02-24T09:46:00.000-05:00

I had written down a conversation the boys had back in October and just HAD to share it.

I guess it's more like enlightening wisdom from Shiloh than a conversation...

Shiloh was drinking his milk and talking to Eli at dinner, and this is how it went.

"Eli, did you know this comes from cows?

You squeeze their.................weenies and milk comes out. They have two weenies. They're different than us. Isn't it weird that they have two weenies? Eli, isn't it weird that MILK comes out of their weenies?!?!"

This is life with two little boys.

what a weekend!

2011-02-15T19:37:00.000-05:00

Whew! What a weekend!

Saturday morning, as we were finishing up breakfast, a good friend called. As soon as I answered, I knew. She was in labor. Earlier than planned. So we loaded up the kids and headed out to pick up their two boys for the night. Our kid cart on our grocery trip was a little fuller than usual. (Thankfully Izaak didn't have to go to work until right before lunch, otherwise the groceries would not have been got!) The bathtub was also a little more crowded than usual on Saturday night.

Amazingly enough, we were more than on time for church Sunday morning

(mostly thanks to my amazing hubby and a box of fruity Cheerios).

On Sunday afternoon, I took the boys to meet their new baby brother - adorable, by the way. Then, brought the oldest one back home and arrived back at our house just in time to pick up Shiloh and swap places with Izaak. He took the boys to their Sunday School Valentine's party while I ran inside to get dinner for the rest of us, as well as my nieces who had been dropped off while I was gone so their Mommy and Daddy could head off on a much-needed Valentine's weekend away. Well, in the midst of me deciding what to do for dinner another friend (whose children were also at the V-Day party) called to let me know that they were headed to Moe's for dinner. So we fed Emily and loaded everyone up in the car - off to Moe's!

After Moe's, Izaak dropped us off at home and went to pick up the boys. I gave bottles and changed clothes and tucked three adorable little girls into their beds - all in the same room - so fun!

We spent the rest of the evening hanging out with our friends the Costons while the kids ran off their sugar-high.

Monday morning involved heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes, a run to Walmart with Shiloh to get him a new booster seat for the car (Izaak had forgotten to get Elyse's carseat for the weekend, and Shiloh's been counting the days till Brynna bumps everyone up into the next round of carseats so we just decided now would be a good time), a trip to the park, a quick lunch, and five little ones tucked into bed for naps. I spent the afternoon shampooing the living room carpet (thank you, Gioia, for the much-needed motivation) :) while Izaak worked on seminary stuff. Romantic, huh?

We did manage to get in a nice kid-free steak dinner and a crappy movie choice before bed. And, although I didn't get a picture of Izaak and I on this Valentine's Day, I had to add this one of Brynna from Sunday morning. She got the headband from Afton, the shoes from Elyse and Emily, and the leg warmers fro Gemma, and they make the perfect outfit.

In spite of all the craziness, we thoroughly enjoyed our weekend. And slept GREAT on Monday night.

birthday girl

2011-02-11T22:20:00.000-05:00

I'm really wishing I could freeze time. I've felt that every moment since Brynna was born. I don't know if it's because she's our baby girl or because she's the most wonderful baby ever, but I'm so sad she's growing up. Knowing that I've loved every stage she's been in this past year makes it easier to remember that I'll love every stage from here on out, but I have to say, I think that if I could freeze time I would. Just for a little bit.

my favorite.

this is our brynna. and this is why i want to freeze time... :)

Here are just a few fun things about our girl:

She ADORES her big brothers. Adores them. Shiloh can always make her smile.
Loves broccoli, sweet potatoes, pasta, and oatmeal. Oh, and birthday cupcakes. Pretty much anything but yogurt.
Only has two teeth and no signs of any more coming soon. But she still beat out her big brother.
She loves to dance. To anything.
Claps and waves and shakes her head no. Doesn't know much sign language yet... just "all done."
Starting to let go and stand alone. I'm guessing it will be another month until she walks.
Loves to play peek-a-boo, hide & seek, and get chased. ALWAYS giggles when Shiloh comes to get her.
Recently started making funny faces and scrunching up her nose. So fun.
Her favorite books are God Made Spring and Tumble Bumble.
At 12 months, she weighs 19 lb. 4.5 oz. and is 29 inches long.
She's such a snuggle bug. Still sucks the first two fingers on her left hand, and anytime she gets sad or frustrated she'll just plop her head on your shoulder and those little fingers in her mouth and everything's ok. It's adorable.
She's the easiest person in the world to love.

Brynna-girl, we love you so much and are so thankful for the sunshine you bring to our lives. We're excited to see the Lord work in your life as you grow up.

Your little hand's wrapped around my finger

And it's so quiet in the world tonight

Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming

So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light

To you everything's funny, you got nothing to regret

I'd give all I have, honey

If you could stay like that

Oh darling, don't you ever grow up

Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little

Oh darling, don't you ever grow up

Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart

And no one will desert you

Just try to never grow up, never grow up

-taylor swift-

And... since this post isn't long enough... here's Brynna's birth story.

40 weeks and 6 days. So much for coming early. I started having contractions around 30 weeks with Brynna, and with the boys I didn’t even feel Braxton Hicks until “Labor Day”. So we (and everyone else we knew) were convinced she was coming early. I kept telling myself not to get my hopes up, but we all do, right? We always hold out hope we won’t make it to that dreadful due date. At least I do…

I had two big desires going into this labor: no pain meds and no induction. With each of the boys they gave me Nubain/Demerol at the last minute, just when I was finishing up transition and ready to push. That's worthless. I decided to do it on my own this time. With each of the boys I was induced; Shiloh because I got impatient and Eli because he needed to come out and grow. This time, although ideally I wanted to wait, I decided that since my doctor had earned my trust with Eli, I would listen if she really thought it was best and Izaak and I both agreed on whatever our decision was.

So…February 2^nd and 3^rd came and went, and I had a doc’s appointment on the 4^th for another ultrasound and non-stress test. (The ultrasound guessed she was 7 pounds even, and the tech thought that was a little on the high side…if only). It took a long time to get the reactions from Brynna that they wanted, but eventually everything looked good. I was 3cm and 70%. My doctor wanted to schedule an induction for Monday, February 8, 6 days past my due date, and for several reasons I had her put it on the calendar. First, it would guarantee that she would be able to be there for the delivery, which I also really wanted. Second, it worked well for planning – our babysitters were headed out of town in the middle of the week. There were a few other things in my head too, that just made me feel ok about it. And Izaak and I were on the same page. We did however, pray, pray, pray that she would come on her own beforehand…

I started having contractions late Thursday afternoon, inconsistently every 7-15 minutes. That lasted until Monday morning. We called L&D at 6am. They were full, but said they’d call me later in the morning and would probably have room then. I stayed downstairs and bounced on my exercise ball and watched the news, then went up and got ready for the day. We were planning on heading over to the park for a walk, but L&D called at 9:45 and told us to come in at 10:30. So we finished throwing our stuff together, dropped the boys off at Jordan and Sue’s, and made our way to Sentara Leigh.

By the time I was all checked in and comfy, it was 11:30am. I was at 4cm and 80% - at least my weekend of “pre-labor” hadn’t been for nothing. Those worthless contractions I had been having all weekend weren’t completely worthless after all. I decided I wanted to have them break my water and wait a bit to see if that would start things off without Pitocin. So at 11:35am, the NP broke my water and I tried not to get my hopes up for a baby by dinnertime (although that’s exactly what I was hoping for).

Originally my Dr. had said she would give me an hour after breaking my water before starting Pitocin. But she was still next door at the office, and L&D was pretty busy that Monday, so I got more time. At 1:30, my nurse came in and said she wanted to start the Pitocin. I had been having contractions more consistently, but they were still 7 minutes apart and I didn’t feel like they were very strong. I was going to ask her to wait until 2, but didn’t have to because she didn’t make it back to my room until a few minutes after 2. At 2:15pm she started me on the lowest dose. The contractions started coming a bit closer together and stronger within a few minutes, but I still didn’t feel like they were working hard enough. (I spent most of this labor watching the clock and timing everything…) At 2:45 she came in and checked me again and said, “Wow, you’re a really loose 8!” (Yes, she said “really loose”…) Izaak and I were shocked; I was hoping for a 5!

By 3pm my contractions were right on top of each other so my nurse shut off the Pitocin. I only had about 30 seconds in between but they were only lasting about 30 seconds. Once again I was really annoyed because I was sure they weren’t lasting long enough to accomplish anything, and I remember complaining about it to Izaak.

My Dr. came in at 3:15 and checked me again and had me try a push. She said “Ok, maybe I’ll see you again in an hour!” and headed out into the hall. By this point I could not stay in bed, so I got up to sit on a birthing ball and Brynna’s heart rate dropped. So I climbed up on the bed on all fours and leaned over the ball. Immediately I had to push. And I mean immediately. So someone ran out to the hall to get my doc, I flipped back over, and she was already crowning. They asked me not to push while they got everything ready, but then I sat around waiting for another contraction… Dr. HP said to go ahead and push, and…well…out she came! Seriously, I pushed 3 times.

Brynna Rie Toliver was born 2/8/10 at 3:36 pm. All 8 lb. 4 oz. and 20 ½ inches of her. So much for another tiny baby… Now I know she was big because she was so full of love. :)

i haven't forgotten...

2011-02-10T18:00:00.000-05:00

brynna's birthday coming soon.

yes, my baby girl is ONE. I'm trying to pretend it didn't happen,

but apparently denial doesn't change reality.

don't get excited. yet.

2011-01-13T14:46:00.000-05:00

This post is nothing other than to say I plan on getting back into the world of blogging. Mostly for myself - I'm much better at keeping a record of our lives when I'm caught up on my blog. Although I could look back at my calendar for the the past nine months and fill in a lot of holes; I just don't have that kind of time. I don't think anyone does.

So... here it comes - pictures, stories, funny things the kids say. Maybe even Brynna's birth story.

Soon.

Actually, I'll just start with my favorite recent Eli quote:

He was sitting on my lap a couple weeks before Christmas singing

"Merry Merry Christmas! Merry Merry Christmas!"

(a song he knew from the Bing Crosby cd that Shi loves)

when all of a sudden he stopped and said

"No, Wait! Mommy, I want marry YOU!!!"

Yes. I love him.

just another week

2010-05-14T21:36:00.000-04:00

Wednesday: finally made it all the way to the top bunk all by himself.

Thursday: got a little too excited about climbing into the top bunk all by himself and fell out.

Friday: picked bright orange for his very first cast (with a little help from big brother Shiloh).

checking things off...

2010-05-06T21:06:00.000-04:00

One of the things on my list lately has been to update this old blog. A few weeks ago I wrote out Brynna's birth story to post, but it just hasn't made it that far. One of these days I'll give her an official blog introduction. For now, a quick update and a few beach photos will have to do.

Since my last post, we’ve had lots of funny, boring, everyday happenings, and we’ve also had some big ones:
finished semester number seven,
took a trip to Branson and met our new niece, Maya Reagan,
enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with siblings,
started semester number eight,
added sweet Brynna Rie to our family,
surprised with the gift of a new-to-us van,
enrolled Shiloh in soccer,
entered the wonderful world of the MacBook,
finished semester number eight,
received a visit from great old friends,
celebrated Eli’s second birthday,
and
said goodbye to Eli’s beautiful curls and hello to spiky hair,
just to name a few.

Now we're spending as many minutes at the beach with Daddy as we can before he starts his LAST SUMMER OF SEMINARY and we say goodbye to him until the end of June...

Eli rambling his way to our spot

Brynna soaking up some Vitamin D

"the crazies"

(as they are affectionately called by the one who knows them best)

and my new favorite

(this one may go up on their wall...)

just couldn't resist...

2009-11-19T16:42:00.001-05:00

...taking some pictures of these two adorable boys washing dishes. Shiloh also found it necessery to wash Eli's hair...

Ahhh. Does my Mommy heart good.

(Now to get them to still think it's fun when they're twelve...)

what a sweet boy...

2009-10-31T11:22:00.000-04:00

This morning as Izaak was leaving for work Shiloh said,

"I love you, Daddy... even if you're different."

Well, isn't that nice!

fun in the tub

2009-10-19T22:56:00.002-04:00

Tonight we got out the old bathtub crayons. Silly Boys.

feeling thankful

2009-10-12T17:06:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's because I know my parents are up there in the North Country celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving today, but I feel like I've had so many reminders lately about being thankful. And with those reminders to be thankful come reminders of so much to be thankful for...

I'm thankful for a God I can trust no matter what. I'm thankful that He gives me the strength I need. I'm thankful that when He points out sin in our lives, He gives His Holy Spirit to help us change.

I'm thankful for my wonderful, nutty hubby. I'm thankful that he makes spending time with just me a priority, and I'm thankful for the special time we had together on Saturday and Sunday. I'm thankful for the incredible daddy that he is. I'm thankful he married me.

I'm thankful for my two delightful, crazy boys. I'm thankful for every part of their little personalities. I'm thankful that they're healthy and for the way they learn and grow. I'm thankful that no matter how much time, energy, effort, emotion, and work they require, I still miss them when I'm not with them. I'm thankful for little hugs and hearing "I love you Mommy".

I'm thankful for my sweet baby girl who is growing and healthy and wiggling all around.

I'm thankful for friends who reach out in times of need and who help us grow and point us toward Christ, even if it's unintentional and maybe even unknown to them.

And the list could go on and on....

An Eventful Evening

2009-10-01T09:41:00.003-04:00

Last night, the four of us headed to our new favorite park for a walk around the lake. We had a great time and got in some good exercise. We had just gotten back to the playground to let the boys play for a bit when a guy walked up to us and said, "Do you guys drive a Toyota Corolla?" That's never a good thing...

Well, he informed us that it had been broken into, so we headed back down the path to the parking lot. The front passenger side window had been smashed, and they grabbed my diaper bag, which included my wallet, phone, and camera (and some dirty old Kleenex. Ha!). Lovely. They had gotten into another car and stolen her bags as well. So, we talked to the cops, then waited around while they hunted in the woods for our stuff. They found my diaper bag and checkbook, and all the stuff from the other lady (they had just taken her cash) but my wallet, phone, and camera are still gone. They also found the bat they used to bust the windows. Then the forensics guy came and took pictures, then bagged it all up and took it back to the station.

So now we have to replace our window, my phone, and another camera. Some of you may know we have very bad "luck" with cameras - I think this will be number seven in the four and a half years we've been married... Maybe we should just switch to disposables.

Anyway, we're thankful that it's just our window that was ruined, I had just emptied all the pictures off our camera, and I had no cash in my wallet. Maybe we should put a sign in our car that says POOR SEMINARY STUDENTS to prevent this from happening again...

Surprise Family Day & the Neptune Festival

2009-09-30T11:39:00.006-04:00

On Saturday morning, Izaak gave me one of my favorite surprises - he had taken the day off! I love it when he does this, and Saturday was especially happy for me because I was planning on going to the Neptune Festival with the Coston's, and was wishing he could come along too. So we packed up and headed off to the beach for a fun day.

Family shot

Waiting for the parade

The kiddos

The winning sand sculpture

Finishing the day off with some yummy custard

So worn out

Messy and happy

Changing things up a bit...

2009-09-16T12:50:00.004-04:00

...with a baby GIRL!

We are so excited, and praising the Lord that everything looks good.

Shiloh was right! :)

Been waiting for this one for a long, long time...

2009-09-04T14:39:00.002-04:00

...and I finally get to say it: my little man, Eli Bryce, has cut his first tooth! I can't see it, but I can feel it. And I know it's there.

Honestly, never did I expect him to be so late, although he's late with everything else, so why not? But at the sweet young age of four months, I could have sworn he was already getting in gear: drooling, fingers in the mouth, painful crying. All the classic symptoms. Turned out the painful crying was always because of his poor little ears, but that's another story.

Anyway, eight months old came and went, which is when Shiloh got his first tooth, and so did twelve months and fifteen months. At his twelve month appointment, his pediatrician warned us that if we didn't see any by fifteen months they would have to check him out. Well, those three months flew right by and not a single tooth, and no sign of any either. So about two weeks ago we took him for bloodwork, to be sure it wasn't caused by some weird disease - I have no idea even what those diseases were. Yesterday morning the pediatrician called to say everything in the bloodwork looked great (Shiloh's cholesterol too, which they also had to check), and x-rays were the next step at eighteen months if we still didn't have any action going on in there.

Well, yesterday Eli woke up from his nap starving as usual, so we shared a protein bar, a gift from my hubby to try to get this little baby in me to start growing. I let Eli lick some chocolate off my finger and froze. Then unfroze, sure it had to just be a crumb. But nope! Wonder of wonders, there it is - an itty bitty sharp spot where his bottom front left tooth should be! I had the windows open and there were some kids outside riding their bikes who must have thought I was crazy - who cares about a tooth? Let me tell ya, sixteen months and three days is long enough to make a big deal.

So we called Daddy and the grandmas and baked some cookies to celebrate. My baby is growing up.

even though it's a boring sport...

2009-09-02T14:55:00.003-04:00

...baseball can be sort of fun.

That's right. I said boring. I grew up watching hockey, what can I say? Although I do enjoy actually going to baseball games, I have to be honest, it's mostly for the night out, the food, and the atmosphere. Not so much to actually watch.

Anyway, before I hurt any feelings, I'll get to the point: Izaak's boss had some great tickets for the Norfolk Tides game Saturday night. And since he had other plans, passed them on to us. It was a fun surprise for the boys - the seats were about 5 rows up from the visitor's dugout. Shiloh loved everything - the lights, the music, the funnel cakes, oh, and a little baseball too. Eli had more fun climbing Mommy and flirting with the lady behind us, but fun nonetheless. He got a little nervous when a guy wearing blow-up crab costume ate one of the players, but other than that, no tears...

This is the face we get when we tell Eli to smile...

...and this is what we get from Shiloh. Will they grow out of this?!?

And here they are getting excited (probably about the funnel cake)

Perfect Day for a Bowl of Soup

2009-08-31T13:50:00.002-04:00

It's a cool, rainy day, which I've been hoping for. Perfect for some Josh Groban, good books, and soup. I grew up on homemade bread and soup, and it's one of my favorite things to eat and make. It's also one of the things I miss during the summer. We decided it sounded good for lunch, so I thought I'd share one of our new favorites:

Tomato, Cheese and Bread Soup

8 ounces crusty Sourdough croutons
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
9 garlic cloves, minced
3 large onions, finely chopped
8 cups chicken stock or low-salt chicken broth
2 28oz cans peeled plum tomatoes, drained and crushed
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Parmesan Reggiano rind (optional)
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves (for garnish)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shavings
1/4 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until very tender, about 25 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, cheeses and cheese rind. Simmer soup uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For smoother texture, puree in blender or food processor before serving.

Ladle soup into bowls. Add croutons, torn basil, and Parmesan cheese shavings just before serving.

I use whatever cheese I have on hand and make my own croutons with whatever leftover bread I have in the fridge. Just cut it up, drizzle with olive oil, add salt and spices if you want, and bake at 350 until they're golden and crunchy, 25 minutes or so.

Yum! Sorry, no pictures. We ate it before we could get the camera out! :)

Special Chats

2009-08-29T10:00:00.004-04:00

So on Wednesday night the boys and I went over and invaded Auntie Sue's quiet little evening. We were there till the daddys got home from work, so Shiloh didn't get to bed until about 10:30. Izaak was tucking him in and they started talking about Judas and the Last Supper and Jesus' death. Izaak talked about how Jesus didn't stay dead, but rose again and now he's in heaven building a big house for us, so they started talking about heaven. Shiloh said, "Daddy, I want to go to heaven." So Izaak started asking him all those important questions about why Jesus had to die, and Shiloh knew all the answers. Then they prayed.

I'm honestly not really sure exactly how much Shiloh understands - he still seems so young to me, although I remember vividly having the same talk with my Mom at 3 1/2. But it was such an encouragement to us to know he's learning and at least beginning to understand a little bit about salvation. Now I'm just waiting to see the fruit... :)

Then last night I had this conversation with Shiloh that ended with a funny comment about our baby. We were talking about how Grandmama went to pick up Grandma-Great and bring her back to her house.
Shi: "Where's Grandma-Great's daddy?"
Me: "Well, he's probably in heaven."
Shi: "Why?"
Me: "Well he passed away a while ago."
Shi: "Passed away? Why?"
Me: "Well, when we get old, we die."
Shi: "Am I getting old?"
Me: "Well, we're growing older, but we're still pretty young. You're still a little boy."
Shi: "Yeah, but I'm getting bigger. And when I get big I'm gonna sleep somewhere else."
Me: "Oh? Where?"
Shi: "Outside."
Me: "Really? What about up in the top bunk so Eli can sleep down in this one."
Shi: "Oh right. That's a good idea. Who's going to sleep in Eli's crib?"
Me: "Who do you think?"
Shi: "The new baby." (with a big grin)
Me: "That's right. Are you excited?"
Shi: "Man, we still have to wait a really long time for the baby."
Me: "Yeah, we do."
Shi: "Mom, when the baby gets big, is it gonna just pop right out?"

Um...well, I wish it was that simple... :)

Shi-Man's 3rd Birthday (better later then never, right?)

2009-08-26T09:17:00.004-04:00

Our big boy turned 3 on July 12, and I'm just now getting around to posting something. We had the usual aunts and uncles over, as well as "uncle" Chris. Shiloh asked for a football cake, so that's what he got. His big gift from us was a scooter (which I have zero pics of); I can't believe he's so grown up!

Cool rollerskates from Chris & Kristen

He thought his pool was a box full of kids... Ha!

Testing out his car from Seth & Bethany

Newsy News

2009-08-15T16:10:00.002-04:00

Well, OK. Probably not really. I am finally getting around to making my official blog announcement that baby number three is well on it's way! I still think to myself "are you kidding me?" at least a few times a week, or whenever I actually remember that I'm pregnant (which usually happens when I'm choosing an outfit since my rear-end is suddenly existent rather than non). I'm almost 16 weeks, and feeling fine, other than the usual passing out problem that I'm used to by now since I'm on #3 (I know, WHAT?!?) :) This time around is so different, probably because I already have two little rugrats running around, but I'm not nearly as conscious of this pregnancy as I have been in the past. I'm sure once I start showing and he starts kicking around I'll be more aware. And yes, I said "he." I'm convinced it's another boy, and honestly don't care either way. I would love to have a girl someday, but I also LOVE being a mommy to boys, so I'll be happy no matter what the little munchkin turns out to be. So far I've been able to be a normal preggie - no bedrest - and Lord willing, that won't change. "Chances" are good everything will be fine this time around, and I'm anxious to get to my 20 week ultrasound to find out; that's when they found the problems with Eli. Anyway, we're excited and looking forward to meeting the little peanut sometime around 2/2/10. Now, to start shopping for a bigger car...

future firemen

2009-08-03T13:59:00.004-04:00

I am attempting to update my poor deprived blog with our happenings from the past couple months (which I began with my last post) but it's been pretty low on the priority list. Mostly because ever since we got our computer back from the computer hospital (after being out of the loop for 3 WEEKS!!!) I could only get online in Eli's room because our wireless connection also decided to get sick. But as of this morning we are back in business. Ahhh.

So...I had all these wonderful plans to post about all the fun things we've been doing the past several months, and I'm still going to try. I'll try to skip over the cute everyday stuff and just hit the hightlights. :) Here goes...

The last weekend in June we drove down to Raleigh to visit my best friend from college, Melanie, and her husband Chad. It was SO good to see them. Chad's a firefighter, and he took us down to the fire station and gave the boys free reign of one of the big ladder trucks and answered all of the 2 million questions Shiloh asked. It was a good time. Thanks, Chad & Mel!

Mini Stay-cation

2009-07-23T13:16:00.005-04:00

Well, we totally bought into the new trend sweeping our nation - the Staycation! Ryan, Adrian, Nolan, and Cy (Izaak's brother and his family) came to hang out for almost a week at the beginning of June. Shiloh and Nolan are 15 months apart, and Cy and Eli are 3 months apart. We all had a blast! Unfortunately it was not a good week for the beach, so we had to settle for other things. So we took the boys (yes, all of them) to see UP, which was super cute, spent an afternoon at the aquarium, and did manage to take a walk on the boardwalk and hit the beach one afternoon in spite of the cold and clouds.

good times!

Finally dry enough to hit the park...

2009-05-21T08:33:00.005-04:00

With all the rain we've had we've stayed away from the park lately. Last night was beautiful, so we finally got to take advantage of some sunshine.

Happy Birthday Eli!

2009-04-30T21:52:00.004-04:00

How is it possible that an entire year has passed since the night I met my second baby boy? It just doesn't seem that long. And at the same time it does. 2008 was quite the year for us, so maybe that's why it went so fast. Anyway, here are a few pics from our evening lovin' on our new little one year old.

David & Goliath

2009-04-27T11:47:00.003-04:00

We took our first trip of the season to the beach on Saturday (it was a blast; I'll post some pics later) and when we got home, Shiloh was in the story-telling mood. Here's the one we got on video.

Yummy Granola Bars

2009-04-16T11:19:00.005-04:00

I've started making my own granola bars. We all love the one you buy at the store, especially the chocolate covered kind, but they're so full of yucky stuff and pretty expensive if you eat them often (and this year we cut our monthly food budget to 1/3 of what it used to be - yikes!). So I've tried a couple recipes and I think I found one I LOVE. I noticed Money Saving Mom made them for one of her baking days, so I followed it and looked at some variations of it (at Naturally Knocked Up and Joyful Abode). I made them using the stuff I had, so I added some extra oats, wheat bran, and ground flaxseed in place of the peanuts and wheat germ, cut down on the butter and added peanut butter, and threw in some raisins and chocolate chips.

OH YUM!!!

Resurrection Day

2009-04-15T07:31:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter. I was so thankful to be in church (rather than in bed like last year) and able to enjoy a wonderful service. We spent the rest of the day (and some of the night) with great friends and lots of yummy food.

Our family has changed a bit since last year, and I was reminded how thankful I am for my two beautiful, healthy boys. Shiloh's all grown up (you can see pics from last year here) and participated in his first kids choir on Sunday, and Eli is a happy, growing almost one year old! I know, when did that year disappear?

Elyse

2009-04-09T10:39:00.003-04:00

Last night we got to watch our beautiful niece, Elyse. The boys LOVE her - Shiloh spent the whole morning looking out the window saying, "Is Elyse here yet?" and Eli just giggled at her while I was holding her (although I can't let him get too close because he likes to go right for the face). She fell asleep before I got to take pictures of the 3 of them together, so we put the boys on the bed beside her. Needless to say, she didn't stay asleep for long. :)

Just when I thought he was getting better...

2009-04-06T09:36:00.004-04:00

...he wakes up with another ear infection!!! Poor little man Eli was so sick last week with Roseola. He had a very high fever for 3 days, along with a super snotty nose, bad cough, and diarrhea. (I know, more than you cared to know). Then, after his fever went away, he woke up with a rash that spread all over his whole body. With Roseola, the rash actually means they're getting better. And he was definitely improving. Just was crabby and tired and not feeling good because of the leftover cough and runny nose. Then this morning as I was feeding a very cranky little man breakfast, and trying very hard to get him to actually eat something after last week, I noticed the crusties all over his ear. Thanks to the ear tubes the infection will drain, and I have drops to put in there so hopefully we can avoid another trip to the doc for antibiotics. I just feel bad for the little guy - he just can't seem to get healthy!

This was what Eli did most of the week.

And his poor face with the rash.

So far Shiloh's still healthy. Last Sunday night we stayed home from church so Eli wouldn't share his germs, so we decided to take a trip to the park. And Izaak decided it was time for Shiloh to learn how to whittle. I was thinking, Shiloh? With a knife? But Izaak had an "itty bitty small one" (to put it in Shi's words) and we made it home with no casualties.

Putting it in Perspective

2009-03-13T19:43:00.005-04:00

The end of February, right after Eli had his surgery to have tubes placed in his ears (yay!), he had his 9 Month Well Appointment. He was actually a couple days away from 10 months. After they weighed him, they told me he's dropped in the percentiles and is barely in the 15th percentile now. He's always been tiny (as many of you may recall from my bedrest days) but was gradually catching up. I had actually been thinking just the week before that he was starting to look a little chunky. I guess I was way off. Anyway, they told us to pump the carbs, which shouldn't be too hard now that he's eating table food. Still toothless, but those gums can do a number on a grilled cheese sandwich!

I guess when I really think about it, I've always known he's small - he's 10 1/2 months and he can still wear a lot of his 3-6 month shirts and pants. But he seems big - or at least normal - to me, especially when I remember how tiny he was at birth. So I thought I'd put things in perspective and compare my two little men.

Shiloh:
Birth: 8 lb. 1 oz.
6 Months: 19 lb.
Crawling: 6 months
First tooth: 8 months
Standing alone: 9 months
Walking: 10 1/2 months

Eli:
Birth: 5 lb. 12 oz.
6 Months: not sure, but at 10 months, 18 lb. 1 oz. Not even caught up to Shi's 6 month weigh in!
Crawling: 9 1/2 months
First tooth: still nothing!
Standing alone: nope
Walking: nada, but his aunties think he's going to surprise us all!

Shiloh never ever really had that "newborn" feel. He was practically a toddler when he came out. He was always in like the 95th percentile for size, and usually ahead when it came to motor skills. Eli will be a year old in a month and a half, and he still seems like my little baby boy. Maybe because he's my 2nd? I don't know, but either way, they're both growing up way too fast...

Shiloh @ 10 1/2 months

Eli @ 10 1/2 months

Sittin' Pretty

2009-03-12T10:24:00.004-04:00

This was how I kept the boys from having their noses to the TV this morning...

Whatever works, right? They loved it. And we love Baby Einstein!

Another reason I love spring - tulips!

2009-03-10T16:46:00.004-04:00

I just discovered that my tulips - which Seth and Bethany bought me last year to brighten up my bedrest days - are growing! Yup, little green things shooting up out of the dirt. I don't remember what color they are, so unfortunately I have to wait, but tulips are my favorite no matter what color they are. Thanks again, S&B!

(This one's just because I loved loved loved my bouquet) :)

Aaahhhh, Spring.

2009-03-10T13:28:00.003-04:00

Well, for a couple days, at least. I think it will cool off again for a little while before it's actually here to stay, but I'll take what I can get. I've always said my favorite season is summer, but I'm starting to realize that I also love spring very, very much. Maybe it's the anticipation of tank tops and flip flops and sunny heat. Or maybe it's having my windows open without being too cold or too hot and trips to the park without bundling up. Whatever it is, I like it.

A Few of My Favorite January Pics

2009-02-04T21:24:00.003-05:00

What a Man!

2009-01-02T21:23:00.003-05:00

Izaak asked what I wanted for Christmas and I told him I wanted a new shiny brown bag. He and Shiloh picked this out all by themselves. Didn't they do a great job? I was very impressed. :)

Christmas at the Toliver's

2008-12-30T21:34:00.008-05:00

I love Christmas - the smells, the lights, the food. And Christmas with kids is absolutely the best. Here are a few highlights from our house.

The boys each got to open one gift on Christmas eve - matching PJ's. Cheesy, I know, but so cute!

Then we took a middle of the night trip to meet our brand new niece, Elyse Noelle. What a fun gift! Shiloh thought it was time to open up presents when we got home at 3:30 am, but we told him he had to sleep again for a little while... poor confused kid. :)

Shiloh could hardly contain himself Christmas morning. We open our gifts one at a time, and we had to force him to take a breath in between. He also got double duty this year - he opened all of Eli's presents too. :) Eli loved the paper, just like an 8-month-old should. Here are a few of my faves. I know. I have a lot of faves.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-22T10:54:00.003-05:00

My Boys (and Cole)

2008-10-26T23:18:00.001-04:00

Long time no update...

2008-10-13T21:56:00.003-04:00

I'm not even going to try to catch up. So here's what's going on now...

Shiloh won't stop talking, and he's hilarious. His new favorite phrase is "Um, I don't know" and he loves to announce "Hey, I'm awake" when he gets up. He's obsessed with poop - he's always saying, "Mom, don't eat poop. It's gross." and "Ew. It has poopie on it." Very random. He's also teaching Eli from his catechism book. The other day I caught Shiloh on the floor beside Eli saying, "Eli who made you? God made you!" Tonight he was teaching his cars... :) I can't do anything in the kitchen without him dragging a chair over to "help" and I love it, most of the time. He LOVES to make Eli laugh, but still doesn't get that he can't sit on, hit, wrestle, and bonk heads with him. MY most popular phrase lately is "Shiloh, BE GENTLE!"

Eli is the happiest baby I've ever met, and adores his big brother. His face lights up when he sees him, and he laughs at him all the time. He's on his fourth ear infection - we just can't seem to get rid of it - and his eardrum burst today. Hopefully this new antibiotic will take care of it. He's still not rolling over, but he can kick himself around 360 degrees pretty quick. He's also eating rice cereal now, and has figured out how to spew it back into Mommy's face.

Izaak's semester is in full swing, so he's not home a whole lot these days. I'm still trying to figure out whether it's fall yet or not...

July Already?

2008-07-18T12:56:00.005-04:00

I can't believe the summer is halfway over already! It's gone by so fast, but we're loving every minute. We started off the month with a road trip down to Atlanta for the 4th, which is also my Mom's birthday. She knew Izaak and I and the boys were coming, but the rest of the Heijermans clan went along to surprise her. We thought she might have figured something out, but we pulled it off - she and Dad didn't have a clue!

Shiloh had his 2nd birthday on the 12th, so we hit the beach with Jordan & Sue and Seth & Bethany, then headed home for cupcakes and presents. While Shiloh was eating his cupcakes, someone said, "Shiloh, hurry up so you can open your presents" so he stuffed the whole thing right in. Typical Shiloh. :)

Eli is getting so big - he's already more than doubled his birth weight! He started smiling a couple weeks ago, and it's so cute! I'm pretty sure he's going to have some pretty cool baby blues, just like his big brother.

Finally getting back to normal...

2008-06-19T18:32:00.004-04:00

Whew! After almost 14 weeks of bedrest, a new baby, 2 weeks in Branson, and a week without Izaak, we are finally getting settled down. Shiloh is readjusting to being a big brother - the 2 weeks in Branson and one without Daddy kind of made him crazy - and Eli is growing like a weed. At his six week weight check at the pediatrician he was already up to 8 pounds, 9 ounces. He has definitely outgrown his preemie clothes, and is filling up his newborn outfits very nicely. The fatter he gets, the more he looks like Shiloh. I love it.

Izaak's sister's wedding was beautiful, and the weather ended up being perfect after a scary week of rain. It even rained the day of the wedding, but by picture time, it was perfect, and not too hot. Shiloh was finally starting to warm up to his big cousin, Nolan, by the time we headed home.

Shiloh has graduated to a big boy bed, and loves it. The other morning I was feeding Eli early and I peeked in and he was on the floor. When we got up, he had moved back up onto the bed but had a red bump on his cheek... He must have hit something on the way down. :)

We took our first trip to the beach on Saturday. It was nice to be back - we practically lived there last summer - and Eli seemed to like it. He was his usual sleepy self, while Shiloh and Daddy played in the waves.

Big Helper

2008-05-22T12:47:00.002-04:00

Here are a few pics of Shiloh being a big helper... :)

Ditching the Diapers

2008-05-19T10:09:00.003-04:00

We've been potty training Shiloh for what seems like forever - just having him sit on the potty every half hour or so and giving him a treat when he goes. But he knows his diaper is still available to him, and he can always just go in there. So last week I decided to ditch the diapers and put him in his big boy underwear. Then he got sick, so we put it on hold. Today's the day we start again...

Look alike?

2008-05-14T22:02:00.003-04:00

We've decided that the boys do look alike. I think Eli favors Izaak a little more than Shiloh does, but there are definately similarities...

Shiloh

Eli

Shiloh

Eli

Just Pics

2008-05-09T15:22:00.004-04:00

2008-05-09T15:22:00.001-04:00

2008-05-09T15:22:00.000-04:00

Introducing Eli Bryce Toliver

2008-05-04T18:32:00.004-04:00

He's Here! I can't believe it. And he's a prefectly healthy baby boy. We are SO thankful. He was born Wednesday, April 30, at 11:53 pm and weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces, and 19 inches long! Much bigger than anyone was expecting. My labor was a little long (to me, at least). They started me on Pitocin at around 9:30 am, then broke my water right after lunch, hoping that would get things started. Eleven hours later, he finally decided it was time to make an appearance. :) But he was worth every second of bedrest and labor. :)

He had to be on a glucose IV for about a day because he was having a hard time trying to regulate his own blood sugar, but is doing fine now. I have to have him checked again for jaundice, but I think he's ok. Actually, I think he's perfect. :)

Counting the Days...

2008-04-20T13:46:00.002-04:00

Well, I had another ultrasound on Friday morning - my last one! He's up to about 4 pounds, 8 ounces now, which is a little lower on the growth curve, but still growth. The specialist was concerned though because they saw that a section of his umbilical cord is in a tangled mess, and there could be a knot in it. My fluid levels have gone down again too. So he recommended they they keep a close eye on him for one more week, then induce. So I'm scheduled for an induction next week, and unless they need to do it earlier, his birthday should be April 30.

My mom goes home today, so I'm taking myself off bedrest. It will be good for me to have this last week with Shiloh before his world turns even more upside down, but I'm hoping I have the energy to keep up with him. Needless to say, twelve weeks in bed hasn't left me with a lot of extra strength...

We have appreciated everyone's help and prayers over the past few months, and can't wait for our next little man to be here. :)

Why so Stressful?

2008-04-05T09:16:00.003-04:00

How do I name a kid? I always seem to make the mistake of looking at names again at the end of the pregnancy. We had pretty much decided on a name for our little guy, then I looked again the other day and found another one that Izaak and I both love, and now I can't choose. I did exactly the same thing with Shiloh. I'm either going to have to have a lot more kids so I can use all the names I like, or just stop now so I don't have to deal with the stress of choosing my favorite.

I hate making decisions! :)

Still Plugging Away...

2008-03-29T09:45:00.003-04:00

I saw my specialist again yesterday for another ultrasound, so I thought it was time to post an update on the little guy. He has grown, actually more than we all expected him to, and is up to 3 pounds, 9 ounces. Last week my doctor told me that if she could get me to 34 or 35 weeks with a 4 pound baby she would be very happy, and if she could get me further, she'd jump for joy. Well, she better be jumping, because I'm 34 weeks tomorrow, and it looks like he's going to be able to stay in there for a while longer. He's still in less than the 3rd percentile, but he seems to be at least maintaining that spot, so that is good news. I'm still on complete bedrest (9 weeks now) and will continue to see my doc twice a week, and see the specialist again in 3 weeks for another ultrasound. It seems like we've pretty much passed the danger zone as far as him coming way to early, so that is a blessing, and the doctors still say that as far as they can tell he looks like he's developing normally, other than his size. We won't know for sure until he's born, but everything seems very positive.

My Mom is back in town to stay until April 20, so she's been cleaning up a storm and keeping Shiloh entertained. It's really fun to watch them together. Izaak is finishing up his semester, plugging away for a couple more weeks. I think he's ready for a break! We're all looking forward to being able to do things together again, like going to the park, going to church, and hitting the beach again, and I'm having serious Target withdrawal. They better stock up for the day I'm free to shop! :)

Resurrection Day

2008-03-24T20:00:00.003-04:00

Here are a few family shots from Sunday. I decided to ditch the sweats for the afternoon and get into some real clothes so we could have Easter pics from this year. The jeans only lasted through dinner, then it was back to couch potato land for me. :)

A Few Pics

2008-03-19T19:06:00.003-04:00

Busy Week

2008-03-08T14:30:00.004-05:00

I feel like I live at the doctor's office. I've had 6 appointments since last Friday, which isn't normal; usually I just have 2-3 a week, but this was specialist week on top of the regular visits. Things are still looking ok. My doctor is pleased with his growth, and is just taking things weeks by week. So far he seems to be maintaining his spot on the 3rd percentile growth curve, and as long as that keeps up, he can stay in there. They still didn't find any clues as to what's causing all this, but we're thankful he's growing. I'm scheduled for another ultrasound in 4 weeks, but my doc wants it in 2, so we're waitong to find out when I go back to the specialist.

Shiloh is still his crazy, wonderful, hilarious self. He has done so well adjusting to things. On Monday we started having friends from church help out by staying at the house or taking Shiloh to their's, and he loved them all. It's good for him to learn to be flexible and comfortable with people he doesn't necessarily know as well. And he's gotten to spend every evening with his aunts and uncles, so he LOVES that. Our only worry with him is that he doesn't think he has to obey Mommy anymore; he knows I'm not supposed to get up to get after him when he doesn't obey, so he just doesn't. We'll just have to get back into the swing of things when Mommy is back to normal..although "normal" will no longer be the same with a new baby in the house. :)

I've been trying to post pics of Shiloh with this, but it won't let me. I'll see if I can get some up later.

He Grew!

2008-02-29T12:27:00.003-05:00

We had some good news at the ultrasound today. He's gained about 9 ounces and weighs about 2 pounds, 6 ounces now, which is not enough gain to get me off bed rest, but much better than none. He is still very small, they're saying less than 3rd percentile, which could be bad if he's fallen off the 3rd percentile growth curve. But we're praising the Lord that he's shown at least some growth over the past 2 1/2 weeks. I do have a few new questions and concerns, but I see my doctor again on Tuesday and will be able to pick her brain a little more. Again, thank you everyone for praying! Here are a few pictures.

Baby Update

2008-02-28T14:07:00.002-05:00

Yesterday morning I went in for my Non-Stress Test, and then to see my doctor in the afternoon. The NST went well as usual - his heart looks great. When I went to see my Doctor, she measured me, and I'm measuring between 25 and 25 1/2, which is a good 4 cm smaller than I should be. There is a little bit of growth since last week, but not as much as she wanted. I see the specialist for another ultrasound tomorrow, and based on that we need to start talking about where I'm going to deliver. She really wants to see some significant growth on Friday, or they'll consider giving me steriod shots to help his lungs develop, and probably deliver me early, which means I'll deliver over where I've been seeing the specialist since their nursery there is better equipped for things like this. I'll be 30 weeks on Sunday. We'll know more on Friday after the ultrasound.

Little Stinker

2008-02-22T08:04:00.002-05:00

Cole came over to play a few nights ago, and this is pretty much how the whole night went: Shiloh stealing stuff from Cole. Cole's poor feelings were so hurt, but I think they can still be friends...

Good News this Morning

2008-02-20T13:39:00.002-05:00

I had my weekly appointment with my doctor this morning, and had my first fetal Non-Stress Test. They just strap a monitor to my belly for about 20 minutes so they can chart his heart rate. Everything looked great there, and I've even grown a bit since last week, so that's great news. We won't know until my next ultrasound on the 29th if it's the baby, my fluids or both that are growing, but anything is good. I go again on Friday; she wants to see me twice a week for the Non-Stress Tests, and I'll always see her after so we can talk it over. Anyway, it was an encouraging visit, since any little bit of growth is wonderful.

You Are Near

2008-02-17T09:44:00.002-05:00

When the trials come and sorrows fall on me
You are my strength, the ground beneath my feet
When temptation calls to worry about my life
I will place my hope in the cross of Jesus Christ
And joy will be my song
Yes, joy will be my song

For You are near, near to me
You still my anxious thoughts
And You bring Your peace
You are near when I call
You drive out all my fears
And calm this troubled heart
You're near to me

You told me to rejoice in every circumstance
And trust in you alone and in Your sovereign plan
You beckon me to come and bring You my requests
You promised that Your peace would come and bring me rest
And joy will be my song
Yes, joy will be my song

When I don't hear You, You're still near
When I don't feel You, You're still near
When I think that You have abandoned me
You're still near, You are near
You'll never leave me
You're still near

Sovereign Grace Worship

Precious Thoughts

2008-02-16T14:23:00.003-05:00

"O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from you Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,'
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there were none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you."

Psalm 139.1-18

Cute Little Man

2008-02-14T18:19:00.000-05:00

Shelley - this is for you. :) The top one is the clearest; you can see his little nose sticking up in the air. The 3D ones didn't print very well, so this is just a regular ultrasound shot.

More Baby News

2008-02-13T14:52:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally made it to the specialist yesterday. It was actually a really long day, since I had my Gestational Diabetes test in the morning, then the other one in the afternoon. I do have GD; they tested my blood 4 times this morning, and my numbers aren't too high, so I'm sure it will be easy to control. I just have to go back to the specialist to learn how to change my diet and test my blood sugar.

We got ok news at the other appointment. The ultrasound tech was wonderful, and she spent a lot of time explaining things and answering our questions. Then the perinatologist came in and looked around more with the ultrasound. My fluid levels are up; they're at 11.1 now, instead of the normal level of 15, which they said was "mildly reduced," but better than before. They are still worried about the baby because he's very small. He's in the 3rd percentile, and the Dr. said she was baffled as to why he's not growing. Usually as soon as she looks at the ultrasound she knows what is wrong, but she said in this case everything else looks good, so she couldn't tell us why. They checked the blood flow to the baby and everything was working well, so they're not sure why he's not growing since he seems to be getting what he needs. They have diagnosed me with Intrauterine Growth Restriction, even thought they don't know what's causing it. I go to the specialist for another ultrasound in 3 weeks, and to see my Dr. once a week so they can monitor the heartbeat, etc. She mentioned the possibility of chromosomal abnormalities (like Down's Syndrome), but I had a blood test for that at about 16 weeks and everything came back normal. Plus I'm low-risk for things like that - young, healthy, no family history, etc., so she said that was on the bottom of her list of concerns. She said they would re-evaluate at my ultrasounds how they want to handle things, like whether they will need to induce early, etc., but for now I'm still on complete bedrest.

Oh - we did get to see his perfect little face in 3D - it was very cool, and he's beautiful. :)

Again, thanks for all the prayers and offers to help - it means SO much.

A Little Update...

2008-02-03T09:09:00.000-05:00

We got a letter in the mail yesterday with our appointment to see the fetal specialist. I thought I might lose it having to wait the weekend, and maybe I was right and that's why the Lord decided to let us know on Saturday. :) I go see my doctor again on Wednesday, and then to the specialist next Tuesday, the 12th. It seems a little far away; we were hoping to get in faster, but we're praying that it just means that when the doctors there looked at my records, they decided they didn't need to rush me in.
The little man is still kicking up a storm - which really helps me. And he seems to have pretty strong little legs! :) My wonderful Mom goes home tonight since she and Dad leave in the morning for another trip to Ecuador, and my wonderful sister-in-law, Jenni, flies in from Branson tomorrow to stay for the month.
I'll be honest, bedrest is a little rough, especially since I feel fine and Shiloh really doesn't understand why Mommy can't pick him up or play ball or take him to bed or chase him around the house, but I know that even this is in God's hands and in His timing.
Thanks for praying with us.

Trip to the Park

2008-01-29T10:29:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pics from our trip to the park on Saturday.

Baby News

2008-01-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

I had a Dr. appointment this morning for another ultrasound. My Dr. wanted to check on a couple things, and it turns out that my amniotic fluid level is low, and our little man is measuring small in his abdomen. She put me on complete bedrest, and is sending me to a fetal specialist for more ultrasounds and tests, so we'll know more in a few days. He has all his little parts and a strong heartbeat, so that is good news. My mom is going to try to come out this week, and Izaak's sister may come after that to help. We would really appreciate all your prayers for us and our little man, and Shiloh, since he won't have quite as much playtime with Mommy for the next few weeks/months and is requiring LOTS of discipline and attention right now.

Mr. Muscles

2007-11-27T13:36:00.000-05:00

Here's a cute one of Shiloh flexing his huge guns. :)

No More Curls. :(

2007-11-27T13:19:00.000-05:00

We had family pictures scheduled for Saturday night, so we decided we better cut Shiloh's hair, rather than be brushing it out of his eyes the whole time. I've been putting it off as long as possible because he had these beautiful curls in the back, and I just couldn't cut them off. But I gave in and we turned our kitchen into a barber shop for a few minutes Saturday morning. At first he was a little confused about what was going on, then he made a game out of handing Daddy his hair and he sat fairly still. Well, still for him. Here are a few pictures.

Bedtime Story

2007-11-19T11:01:00.001-05:00

My Birthday Weekend

2007-11-14T15:06:00.000-05:00

So, can I just say I have the most wonderful hubby ever!!! Saturday was my birthday, and Izaak's favorite thing is to surprise me, which, although I do like surprises, actually drives me crazy beacuse I HATE waiting. So all week I was bugging him for hints and early presents, but he didn't crack. He usually works 10-6:30 on Saturdays, but told me he switched to the early shift so he could go in at 8 and come home early. Well, we got up Saturday morning, and he gave me the new Rush of Fools cd - which is awesome - and got all ready and left. A few minutes later I hear a knock on the door and it's Izaak with Panera for breakfast. He tells me to get in the shower and get ready, and he's going to take Shiloh to play with Uncle Jordan and Aunt Sue. So once we're in the car he hands me a wad of cash and tells me we're spending the day in Williamsburg - shopping! Ok - two of my favorite things already: spending the day with my love and shopping! Then, after shopping we have dinner reservations at an unbelievably amazing gourmet Italian restaurant in downtown Norfolk called La Galleria. The atmosphere was perfect, which sometimes I care more about than the food, and dinner was absolutely delicious. Then, we're on our way back to pick up the little munchkin man, and Izaak drives right past the exit and says he has one more surprise: a hotel on the Boardwalk for the night! It was wonderful! On Sunday we got up and ate at this little mom & pop diner, took a fun but freezing walk on the beach, and then headed back to pick up Mr. Shiloh, who, by the way, wanted to stay with Jordan and Sue. :)

What an amazing man! I'm so thankful for him and the way he loves and takes care of me. It was a perfect weekend, and I'm so thankful for the time to spend with just him and be reminded of just why I love him so much! :)

Trick or Treat!

2007-11-01T20:52:00.000-04:00

Here are a few fun moments from our night out candy hunting! We went over to our friends, the Dribbles', house with Caleb, Carmen, and Cole. It was lots of fun. Shiloh was Chicken Little. He quickly caught on to the whole concept of knocking on the door and getting the candy. He always held his hand out for more... I think we need to work on not being greedy. :)

Baby Peanut

2007-10-09T10:04:00.000-04:00

Yes, we have another baby on the way! I'm due May 11, and had my first ultrasound today. We're so excited, and working on getting Shiloh ready to be a big brother. Aunt Sue got him to say "baby" a couple times the other day, but he doesn't quite have it down yet. But it's ok, we've got time to work on it. Here's the little Baby Peanut as of this morning. :)

Shiloh's Shiner

2007-10-05T21:02:00.000-04:00

Shiloh got his first shiner tonight! We were playing peek-a-boo in the bathtub, and he tried to climb up the very slippery slanted end of the tub, and Wham! He had a big purple bump right away and was crying, so I got him out to calm him down. I showed it to him in the mirror, and he's definately a boy because he got a huge grin on his face and went nuts. I think it must have given him a power boost (like he needs that...) because he went full force for the next 2 hours. Needless to say, I couldn't hold any ice on it for longer than 3 seconds, so I eventually gave up and let him enjoy it. :)

Here are a few pictures that actually don't do the swollen bruise justice, but it's hard to get a good pic when he's going 50 miles an hour...

Picnic at the Park

2007-10-05T20:44:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we decided to pack up our dinner and head over to the park. It was lots of fun, and of course, Shiloh loved it.

He's still not talking, but he attempts to repeat more of what we say, it's just always one syllable. He does know the animal noises for cow, sheep, rooster, turkey, doggy, elephant, squirril, and owl. It's so cute!

Here are a few pics from the park.

Labor Day Weekend

2007-09-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

On Labor Day Weekend we went camping in the Outer Banks with the Costons. It was beautiful and fun (except the boys, mostly Shiloh, didn't have so much fun sleeping). We camped in Hatteras, then spent Monday on Ocracoke Island. It was absolutely beautiful! Carmen and I are already making plans for our husbands to start a church there... :)

It was really hard to choose only a few, but I won't bore you with all 400... :) Here are a few pics.

Baseball

2007-09-01T22:22:00.000-04:00

Tonight Izaak and I went to a Norfolk Tides game with our small group from church. We left Shiloh at home with Uncle Jordan. I thought I'd post a picture of us even though the little man's not in it. :)

Peek-a-boo!

2007-09-01T16:05:00.000-04:00

Shiloh and I were playing peek-a-boo around Daddy's desk chair. I love his cheesy grin. :)

Why buy toys?

2007-09-01T16:01:00.000-04:00

Shiloh's new favotire game: playing in boxes. He literally plays in them for hours. It's so cute. And very cheap. :)

Tub Time!

2007-08-28T21:02:00.001-04:00

Bath tub pictures have got to be some of my favorites. Here are a couple cuties.

It's been a while...

2007-08-28T20:45:00.000-04:00

Wow... it feels like forever since I've sat down and posted some pictures. We went on vacation to Branson, MO, at the beginning of August, and our camera drowned in a puddle of water at the bottom of a canoe. Bummer. A friend of ours bought us a new one, but I've been researching and buying and returning cameras since then. We finally decided on a camera, but I'm still trying to get our pictures off of our old memory card. So, until I get those pictures, here are some from the park yesterday.

He's a Climber...

2007-08-02T15:18:00.000-04:00

Shiloh and I got home from the pool today and I came over to check my email, and when I turned around he was standing in his stroller! It took him all of 3 seconds to get up there... I think I need to start tying him down... :)

Slip & Slide

2007-07-30T22:47:00.000-04:00

So tonight we went to Jordan and Sue's, and Jordan had this ginormous strip of plastic that we hosed down and soaped up. Then we used our boogie boards to shoot from one end to the other. It was so fun! Shiloh was hilarious - he was trying so hard to walk on it, but he kept falling on his face. Here are a few pics.

A Morning in the Park

2007-07-27T09:58:00.000-04:00

This morning we rolled out of bed and took Shiloh to the park. It's so nice - the city park is right behind our apartment. Shiloh had a great time, as always. His favorite things are swinging and climbing up the slides. It's really cute, but hard for him to do when the park is full of kids. This morning only the lawncare people were there, so he had free reign of the slides... :)

Studying with Daddy

2007-07-26T19:23:00.000-04:00

Izaak was teaching Shiloh to read... :)

Boating

2007-07-26T19:13:00.000-04:00

On Sunday we went out on the boat with Caleb, Carmen & Cole Coston, Caleb's sister Miriam, Carm's brother Matt, and Good Old Mo, the dog. It was lots of fun and the boys loved it!

I'm in for it...

2007-07-13T18:41:00.000-04:00

How do I teach Shiloh that's it's ok to throw a ball, but not his bat? Or that it's ok to play catch with Mommy, but not ok to throw toys at me when he wants to play? How do I teach him that it's ok to wrestle with Daddy, but he has to be gentle with the kids in the nursery? How do I teach him that signing please is good when he wants something, but not when it's accompanied by screaming? How do I teach him that it's ok to climb onto the dining room chairs, but not onto the table, and ok to climb onto the rocker, but not onto the tv stand, and ok to climb onto the couch but not onto the tv?

These are all things that I've experienced today. But when he toddles over to me with that big grin on his face and wraps his arms around my neck, it really doesn't seem to matter that my work is cut out for me. That little hug makes it all worth it.

I think I'm in for it over the next few years... :)

Happy 1st Birthday!

2007-07-12T20:32:00.000-04:00

Today Shiloh turned 1 year old! I can't believe how fast time has flown. He seems like such a big boy now. We had a little party for him with Uncle Jordan & Aunt Sue and Uncle Seth & Aunt Bethany, and I made my first attempt at decorating a birthday cake (aside from the disaster I made for Mom when I was about 10...) It was a far from perfect surfboard, but I think it at least resembled what it was supposed to... :) Shiloh - we love you and pray you will grow up to love the Lord with all your heart. We're so excited to see who you'll grow up to be.

Weddings!

2007-07-08T21:19:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Izaak, Shiloh and I attended the wedding of one of the most wonderful people in the whole wide world, Melanie Aynes. Melanie and I were roommates for 3 years at Northland, and I am so thankful for our friendship. She's been like a sister to me, and has been an amazing encourager, entertainer, and shoulder to cry on. I love her so much. She married the man of her dreams, Chad Vradenburgh, and we're so excited for them. The wedding was perfect.

I Can See!

2007-07-08T21:14:00.000-04:00

We decided we better trim Shiloh's hair a little; it was pretty much in his eyes all the time. I really didn't want to cut it since it looks so cute shaggy, so I just trimmed the front. Now it's a little dorky - when it's straight down he looks a little like an Amish dude, but I think it will be ok in a week or two... we'll see! Here are the before and after pics.

Happy 4th!

2007-07-08T21:07:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from Shiloh's first Fourth of July. We spent the day at the beach with Uncle Jordan & Aunt Sue and Uncle Seth & Aunt Bethany, then went to Wes & Katie Kouba's for a cookout. Shiloh had fun feeding the scary ducks behind their house... :)

Rockin'!

2007-07-05T21:45:00.001-04:00

Shiloh climbed into our rocker and seemed pretty proud of himself.

Fun at the Park

2007-07-03T12:11:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to the park with Aunt Bethany.